Motor-vehicle.



J' USTUS B. ENTZ, CLEVELAND, OHIO.

MOTOR-VEHICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1918.

Application filed April 3, 1913. Serial No. 758,521.

K exact description.

This invention relates to motor vehicles and particularly to driving or propelling mechanism of the type including. the socalled electric transmission between the ene and the running gear, such as disclosed 111 myprlor Patent No; 7 32,062, for power li'transmission and control, granted June 30,

1903, and as disclosed in my prior pending ,ap lication for seltpropelled vehicles, filed Fe ruary 24, 1908, Serial No. 417,309. The present invention relates particularly to teatures of mechanical construction involving the inclosing casings for the engine and electric units, the bearings for the smetta-thc support for the controller and other tea.-

.ltures 2 5 The main object of the present invention is to provide a construction wherein are embodied the features of compactness, simplicity, durability and ease of assemblage and alinement.

The above and other objects are accomplished by my present invention which may Ybe here briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel details of construction and combination and arrangement of parts.

which will be described in the specification and set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings wherein I have shown the preferred embodiment ot my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the vehicle propelling mechanism mounted upon the chassis, only the forward portion of which is shown, parte being broken away and the part-s not essential to an understanding of my invention being omitted. Fig. 2 is a top plan view oi the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional vview substantiallyY along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direc-tion indicated by the arrow, and the parts being shown on a slightly enlarged scale; and Fig: 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view on au enlarged scale showing partielllarly the electrical units of the transmission andA the inclosing and supporting parts therefor. v

. Upon the chassis 10 of the vehicle, is supported the prime mover and transmission mechanism which includes a gas engine 11, a generator 12, both the armature and field elements of which are rotatable, and a motor ladapted to be supplied with current from the generator. The rear end of the crank shaft 14. of the engine is supported by a ball-and-ring bearing 15 from the casing hereinafter referred to, and is secured to the ield member 16 of the generator 12, this field member being made suiliciently heavy to serveas the y wheel of the engine. In alinement with the crank-shaft 111 is a. driv ing shaft 17, the forward end of which is adjacent the rear end of the crank shaft and has secured to it the armature 18 of the gen* erator. The forward end ofthe shaft 17, or rather the armature 18 has a bearing upon the rear end of the crank shaft 14 through the medium of a ball-and-ring bearing 19. The frame of the generator field 16 has at the rear of the armature a tubular'or sleevelike extension 20, through which the shaft 17 loosely extends, and upon which are mounted a plurality of collector rings 2l adapted to be engaged by brushes not shown,

and the, rings being adapted to be electrically connected to the field coils and to the brushes for` the armature, the last named brushes being shown conventionally at 21a, and being adapted to be supported vfrom the frame of the generator field member.

At thev rear of the collector rings 21, the shaft 17 has secured to it the armature memlber 22 of the motor 13, which armature cooperates with a suitable motor field member 23, the latter being iiXed or stationary relative to the armature 22.

It will be noted by reference to Figs. 1, 2 and el that the engine and generator 1G of .the electric transmission are inclosed within a single continuous casing 25 composed of an upper part 25al and a lower removable part 25h, the two parts of this casing having along their longitudinal edges and in line with theaxis of shafts lli and 17, outwardly extending flanges, which arc bolted together, as shown.

At the rear end of the casing is a motor housing 26 which is bolted to the cnd of the casing 25, and secured to the rear end of the motor casing 26. is a casing 27 containing a reversing gear 2S. The shaft 17 terminates in the casing 27. and thc reversing gear 28 is adapted to serve as a clutch to cause a third Shaft 29 which has its ioiward cud adjacent the rear end of the shaft 17 to be 'inte`rnal gear 31 keyed to the shaft 29 and t one or more planetary gears 32carr1ed by a The reversing gear (the details of which forni no part of the present invention), includes a gear 30 splined to the shaft 17, an

' spider 33 and arranged to engage the'teeth of .the gear 30 and of the outer internal gear 31. When the parts vare in the position shown in Fig. 4,*the gear 30 and casting supporting 'the internal gear 31 are clutched-tol gether and the shafts 17 and 29 are driven iat the same' speed and in the same direction,

but when the gear 30 and spider 33 carrying the planetary gears are moved forwardly, the spider is held from rotary movement by being clutched to the part 33 supthe casing,

ported on the motor housing, and the rotary movement ofthe gear 30 is then transmit-A ted to the internal gear and shaft 29 through the planetary gears 32, causing the shaft 29 .tol rotate in a reverse direction with respect Vto the shaft 17 which is at all times driven in the same direction.

By reference particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen that `the engine and electric units constituting the prime mover and elec- `tric transmission are supported from the chassis by a three-point suspension, the front part of the engine being supported from the front part of the chassis at a single central point, and the rear part of the engine and generator -casing 25 being supported from the sides of the chassis by two arms 35 and 35a, which as will be seen are integral with the upper part of the casing 25. These arms are of hollow Jformation, and are united with the body of the upper portion of the casing near its rear end as shownm Between these arms where they unite with an upwardly extending rectangular tiange 36 constitutes the body of a manhole 37 which may be closed with a suitable cover. A

Extending across the rear part of the portion 25a of the casing 25, is an integral web or partition plate 38, see particularly Figs. 3 and 4, and in the center of this web 38 is supported a ring-andball bearing 40 forming a bearing for the rear end of the field frame or of the tubular extension 20 of the Iield frame, this bearing being located between the generator 12 and motor 13. A

ring-andball bearing 41 is provided for therear end of shaft 17, this bearing being supported from the rear end of the motor housing 26. The forward bearing 42 for the shaft 29 is supported from the rear end of the housing 27 of the reversing gear.

It 4will beseen therefore that the rotary field member has both Vvits front and rear bearings carried by the same integral support,--namely, the engine casing and its 1ntegral extension. Consequently, the b earings for this member can be properly alined with the engineI bearings, and it will run true at all-times. f

As shown particularlyfin Figs. 2 and 3, the controller, the housing of which is shown at 43, is carried by the arm 35Et extending between one side of the chassis frame and the rear part of casing 25.

By thus supportingl the controller, no only is it so situated as to be in proper relationship with respect to the controller operating member which is operated by thc steering post, a portion of which is shown at 44, but I am enabled to carry the conductors 45 from the electric units into the controller housingwithout exposing the con.- ductors or of carrying them to the exterior 'of the inclosed parts. The conductors are preferably carried from the casing 25, through an opening in the cylindrical wall thereof into and through the hollow arm 35a, the upper part of which can be closed by a suitable cover plate, thence downwardly into the controller casing. i

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a propelling mechanism for a motor vehicle, an engine including a crank s haft, a shaft alined with the crank shaft, aV

generator having rotary field and armature elements, one secured to the crank shaft and the other secured to said alined shaft, a driving' motor adapted to receive current from the generator, the engine having an integral extension provided with a bearing for the said element of the generator which is secured to the crank shaft', said bearing being located between the generator and motor. 2. In a propelling mechanism for a motor hicle, an engine including a crank shaft, a shaft alined with the crank shaft, a generator at the rear of the engine having rotary eld and armature elements, one connected to the crank shaft, and the other connected to said alined shaft, a driving motor adapted to receive current from the generator, said engine having a casing provided with an integral extension inclosing the generator, said extension having a bearing for the rear end of said rotary element of the generator which is connected to the crank shaft.

3. In a propelling mechanism for a motor vehicle, van engine including a crank shaft. a shaft alined with the crank shaft, a gener-4 ator at the rear of theengine, a motor at the other connected to said alined shaft, the inotor having a Stationary housing and a rotary arn'iature. said engine having a casing provided with a rearward extension inclosing the generator, said casing supporting the crank shaft, the forward end of said alined shaft, the 'rear end of said generator element which is connected to the crank shaft, and the said motor housingbeing secured tosaid casing and having a bearing for the r ar end ot said ,dined shaft.

4. In combination in a motor vehicle, a prime mover comprising a gas engine, a generator having field and armature elements, one connected to the engine Shaft, a motor adapted to receive current from said gencrc tor, a supporting frame for the engine, generator and niotor` a support for the frontend of said frame, hollonv laterally projecting `arms constituting supports for the rear end' of the frame, an electric controller carried by one of said arms, and conductors extending from the controller into and through the arm and through the wall of said inclosure.

5. In a propelling mechanism for a inotor vehicle, an engine having a crank shaft, a shaft alined therewith, a generator having rotary field and armature elements, one connected to the crank shaft and tk4 other to the alined shaft, the generator being at the rear of the engine, bearings for the rear end of the crank shaft, Jfor the forward end of the alined shaft, and or the rear end of the element of the generator which' is connected to the crank Shaft, Said hearings being supported in integral extensions of the engine frame.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my Signhture in the presence of two WitnesSeS.

JUSTUS B. ENTZ. lVitnesses A. J. HUDSON, N. C. HUBBARD. 

